DSA Newsletter | Q4 2015 www.dynamicspectrumalliance.org events, future plans, news and more
In this issue.....
Keeping you updated about our activities! Here we highlight our latest work and focus on areas where we are empowering the next wave of spectrum access.
Happy New Year and welcome back to you, our members! It was another very busy quarter at the end of 2015 and we have begun 2016 in the same vein, with preparation for the Global Summit, which will take place in Bogota, Colombia in April, well under way. Dr Martha Suarez, Director of the Agencia Nacional del Espectro (ANE) who is the co-host of this year’s Global Summit, joined me for a webinar broadcast in early February by TeleSemana; a leading online multimedia publication covering the telecommunications industry for telecom professionals in Latin America. We discussed the latest developments in dynamic spectrum access technologies in Latin America and around the world and looked forward towards the key themes the 2016 Global Summit will address, including universal access to broadband.
You will have read that in late December, Ofcom (UK) published their dynamic spectrum access rules for the TV bands, and therefore will be allowing the use of license-exempt wireless devices in the vacant channels of the television broadcast bands. We fully support this decision and the proposed regulations represent another critical milestone in bringing the potential of TVWS technology to consumers in the UK. DSA and many DSA members should be truly proud of the role they have played in getting these TVWS regulations enacted in the UK. These rules followed the new Part 15 updated TVWS (and improved) rules that were adopted in the USA by FCC in August 2015 and were published in the Federal Register in the fall for ongoing petition reconsideration.
I will be working hard in this first quarter of 2016 and in the next to push for more countries to adopt DSA regulations for dynamic spectrum access technologies across Africa and Asia; which remain the two key regions for DSA in 2016, whilst we begin our “market entry” into Latin America with our Colombia Global Summit.
I recently participated in a series of events across the world on behalf of the DSA. Firstly, I travelled to PTC’16 in Honolulu, Hawaii where I presented on what impact new platforms for Internet access will have on the existing ecosystem. From there, I flew to New Delhi, India where I joined a roundtable discussion at the Wireless Broadband Alliance Vision Forum and then joined several discussions at a TVWS workshop during Convergence India. There are currently over 600 million people without Internet access in India, and therefore this is a priority area for the DSA going forward.
At the beginning of February I travelled to Washington D.C. to have several important meetings with regulators, members and the media. Here I also joined the agenda at the 5th Annual Americas Spectrum Management Conference. I joined Dr Martha Suarez again on a panel discussion addressing the role for spectrum sharing in delivering an efficient future spectrum landscape.
I will also be attending Mobile World Congress as a delegate in February, to further promote the Global Summit and the work of the DSA to encourage more members to join.
I would like to thank the membership for your continuing support going into 2016. With a strong Global Summit in April, and our continued passion for advocating for dynamic spectrum access around the globe, 2016 is set to be another incredible year for the DSA. I would still welcome more sponsors of our Global Summit as well as gratefully receiving pointers to potential new DSA members.

Prof. H Nwana, Executive Director

Welcome to our latest members!
We would like to welcome Mawingu Networks to the DSA! Mawingu Networks Ltd. is a solar powered ‘nomadic’ Wi-Fi internet provider that focuses on delivering fast, affordable and reliable Internet in rural Africa. Mawingu Networks' use of freely available solar power provides cheap Internet to communities that would otherwise be excluded from accessibility in a highly challenging geographical environment.

DSA Workshop in New Delhi, India
The DSA supported an international workshop, titled Affordable Broadband for Rural India – Policy Enablement and Business Models in India which was held as part of Convergence India 2016.
The conference aimed to bring a broad group of stakeholders including policy makers from the Department of Telecommunications, Academia, Government organizations who have implemented the pilots, Indian and foreign equipment manufacturers, international bodies such as the Internet Society (ISOC), Dynamic Spectrum Alliance, small organizations offering broadband in rural India and system integrators working in rural India, together in one room. Notable among those who participated in the workshop were: Prof. H.Nwana (Executive Director, DSA) Pradip Baijal (Former TRAI Chairman), Reynaldo Sy (Philippines Department of  Science & Technology), Mr. Madhukar and Mr.Ram (Directors from the New Technologies (NT) Division of DOT responsible for policy formulation), Amelia Yeo (Internet Society, Singapore), Jim Carlson (Carlson Wireless, USA), Rajni Agarwal (Sony, UK), Haiyun (Adaptrum, USA), Jeffrey Yan (Microsoft, Singapore) and Jim Beveridge (Microsoft, UK).
The workshop gave an overview, provided by Prof H.Nwana and Pradip Baijal, of the challenge of providing rural broadband as well as the huge opportunities that lie ahead if this challenge is to be overcome. This was followed by a presentation on the successful pilots in India (Srikakulam, Varanasi and Palghar). International experts such as Reynaldo Sye and Jim Beveridge spoke of their experiences from projects in the Philippines and the UK. Various policy options, international best practices, business models and technologies to roll out broadband in rural India were also discussed.

TeleSemana Webinar
Professor H Nwana and Martha Suarez, Director General, ANE together presented a webinar for TeleSemana, the leading online multimedia publication covering the telecommunications industry for telecom professionals in Latin America which was broadcast on 4 February 2016.
The webinar addressed how new dynamic spectrum sharing technologies and regulatory models could be used around the world to increase digital inclusion and addressed the massive growth of wireless data.
Through this webinar, the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance and ANE explained the potential of dynamic spectrum sharing, and argued for the backing of spectrum regulatory bodies. This would enable the creation of new opportunities for broadband internet connection in rural and low density areas to improve aspects like education, healthcare, commerce and the delivery of government services. Moreover, thoughts about the role of regulators in promoting the enabling of IoT, and all the complementary solutions that the use of dynamic spectrum access technologies and solutions could bring to the society, were presented. Webinar attendees were encouraged to attend the DSA Global Summit in Colombia.
The webinar is part of a drive by DSA and ANE to promote the DSA Global Summit in Colombia. This is the first time DSA and a co-host regulator have worked together prior to a Global Summit in order to promote it.

Recent regulatory submissions
As a cross-industry organization, the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance works to engage with regulators and government officials to promote the adoption of legal and regulatory frameworks that facilitate dynamic access to radio spectrum. Since the last newsletter, the Alliance has filed the following submissions:
December 2015: DSA Response to Ofcom Consultation on Implementing TVWS Regulations
January 2016: DSA Submission To ICASA Consultation On White Spaces
January 2016: DSA Comments to FCC on Spectrum Bands Above 24 GHz

Regulatory Affairs Work Group Update
The Regulatory Affairs Work Group continues to develop policy positions for ratification by the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance. The group drafts documents for submission to regulatory agencies and develops high-level positions on critical issues related to dynamic spectrum sharing. Recent updates include:
  • The Alliance responded to a recent Ofcom consultation on implementing TV white spaces regulations. Ofcom followed up by adopting implementation regulations late last year.

  • The Alliance submitted a response to the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority's consultation on license-exempt use of TV white spaces.

  • H Nwana met with several FCC Commissioners and senior officials in early February in Washington D.C. to prosecute several DSA positions on areas covering the current FCC proceeding on 5G, LTE-U and LAA, preservation of at least one channel for TVWS in remaining broadcast bands after incentive auction, overview of dynamic spectrum access regulatory developments outside the USA, spectrum sharing in 3.5GHz and more. He also used the opportunity to invite FCC officials to the Global Summit in Colombia.
Any Dynamic Spectrum Alliance member can participate in the Regulatory Affairs Work Group, so if you are interested in this area, please contact admin@dynamicspectrumalliance.org

Ofcom Publishes DSA Rules
UK regulator Ofcom published regulations on 18 December 2015 which enabled licence exempt use of white space devices in the 470-490 MHz band. The regulations came into force on 31 December 2015 and as a result of these regulations, licence exempt use of devices which meet the conditions described in the regulations are now permitted. These new regulations were based on the rules DSA passionately advocated for and represent another critical milestone in bringing the potential of TVWS technology to the citizens of the UK.
The DSA fully supports the adoption of regulations allowing the use of license‐exempt wireless devices in the vacant channels of the television broadcast bands (television white spaces, or TVWS).
A number of DSA members, including 6Harmonics, Adaptrum, the Centre for White Space Communications at the University of Strathclyde, Google, MediaTek, Microsoft, Japan’s National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, and Spectrum Bridge, participated in Ofcom’s pilot testing of TVWS technology, and members look forward to continued collaboration with Ofcom in bringing TVWS services to the UK market in 2016.

Launch of the DSA Community Portal
The DSA is happy to announce the launch of the Community Portal website! The Community Portal is a public forum and collaborative workspace where DSA-interested businesses, organizations, research and academic institutes, and individuals interested in dynamic spectrum access can share ideas and resources that will help develop policies that enable greater spectrum efficiency around the globe. The vision of the Community Portal site is to act as a catalyst for research and innovation that contribute to DSA’s principal goals: Closing the Digital Divide, Enabling the Internet of Things and Alleviating the “Spectrum Crunch”
The Community Portal was launched to members on 12 January 2016, and will be launched to the wider public in the coming weeks. For more information on the Community Portal, please contact admin@dynamicspectrumalliance.org.

DSA Global Summit 2016, Bogota, Colombia
Confirmed Speakers
Dr. Martha Liliana Suárez Peñaloza, Director General, Agencia Nacional del Espectro (ANE), Colombia
Mr. Mario Maniewicz, Deputy Director, Radiocommunications Bureau, International Telecommunications Union
Oscar Leon, Executive Secretariat of CITEL
Mr David Luna, Minister of Information Technology and Communications, Colombia
Gilbert Camacho Mora, President of SUTEL
Stay tuned for more speakers to be confirmed soon!
On 2 February, the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance issued a press release titled Dynamic Spectrum Alliance Global Summit 2016 Agenda to Highlight Why Dynamic Spectrum Access Is Key to Universal Access to Broadband, announcing the above confirmed speakers. Please feel free to share the news release with your contacts and/or on social media using the hashtag #DSA16GS. The full news release can be found here:
 http://www.dynamicspectrumalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/DSA_GlobalSummit_Agenda_FINAL.pdf. Versions are also available in Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese on the DSA website.
Call for Sponsors
The DSA is happy to offer competitive Sponsorship Packages for the Global Summit. This year we have added additional benefits such as private meeting room space and guest passes to the event (applies to for-profit business). If you are interested in showing your support for the event, please contact admin@dynamicspectrumalliance.org for more information.

Wireless Broadband Alliance Vision Forum
Wireless Broadband Alliance, an industry organisation that strives to champion the development of the converged wireless broadband ecosystem, hosted its second WBA Vision Forum – Connecting the Unconnected in partnership with FICCI on January 22, 2016. The event saw attendees experiencing the future of Wi-Fi, next generation hotspot live and two new India states, Karnataka and Telangana, joined the Connected City Advisory Board. H Nwana attended the conference and spoke as part of a roundtable discussion.

The event witnessed thought-provoking panel discussions around public Wi-Fi in India with inaugural and keynote addresses by Shri Rakesh Garg, Telecom Secretary from the Government of India, Mr. Asish Khetan, Vice Chairman, Delhi Dialogue Committee, Mr Akhil Gupta, Vice Chairman from Bharti Group, Vijay Sammeta, CIO, City of San Jose, and Mr Yan Shui Li from China Telecom Global and many others. The discussion focused not only on public Wi-Fi in cities, but also hosted an exchange of dialogues, global insights and case studies on transformation opportunities in the area of bridging the digital divide in rural areas.

New Pilot Project Added
The DSA would like to highlight a recently added TV White Space Pilot project (please see below). Please continue to send us pilot projects that your organizations are involved in that are not currently listed on the DSA Worldwide Commercial Deployments, Pilots and Trials webpage.
TV White Spaces Mozambique
The Institute of National Communications of Mozambique (INCM), in partnership with the Universal Access Fund (FSAU), the Network Startup Resource Centre (NSRC), the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), International Solutions (IS) and the University Eduardo Mondlane Centre of Informatics (CIUEM), are conducting a TV White Space pilot project. The pilot project aims at providing clear understanding regarding the potentialities of cognitive radios to deliver free Internet access to the rural schools and the library at the University Unitiva location in the municipality of Boane.
The trial project was launched on 8 August 2015; the established network uses 6Harmonics TV White Spaces base stations to deliver broadband access and create new opportunities for the education sector, whose access is hindered by the distance between the urban fibre-optic and the municipality of Boane. The trial is expected to last for one year, and will be financed by the Universal Access Fund of Mozambique. The resulting internet availability will allow young Mozambican scientists to continue with a wide variety of research, as well as help the Institute of National Communications decide the best ways to expand the project and wireless access throughout the country.

Recent Articles
Mobile Europe (January 2016) "Polite" dynamic spectrum access could lead to innovation spurt
Bloomberg BNA special report (January 2016) Spectrum Auctions: Broadcast, Wireless Industries Eye 2016 Spectrum Auction
ITU News/ Giagom Research – Richard Thanki and H Nwana (December 2015) As Google, Facebook tackle digital divide, what role will unlicensed spectrum play?
Htxt.africa (December 2015) TV White Spaces: The Most Important Internet Tech of 2016?
Northern African Wireless (November 2015) Reaping the Dividend


Recent Industry Events
AfricaCom, 17 November, Cape Town, South Africa
AfricaCom was attended by 10,000 of the digital movers and shakers in Africa. The event was supported by over 350 of the biggest speakers in the digital world in Africa and beyond and over 375 of the world’s most forward thinking telecom brands showcased their solutions and services. Prof H Nwana attended the event as a delegate and spoke with media during the event.

The Global African Investment Summit, 1-2 December, London, UK
Spectrum Futures is a new conference focused on the latest developments in the use of spectrum for Internet access in Asia and Oceania with a particular focus on South and Southeast Asia. H Nwana and Jeffrey Yan spoke on a panel titled ‘Dynamic Spectrum: Current Issues.’

IIC Telecommunications and Media Forum, 8-9 December, Johannesburg, South Africa
Over two days senior delegates from the African communications industry, academia and the international regulatory community met to discuss the challenging emerging markets of Africa. Prof H Nwana attended the event as a delegate and met ICASA officials and other prospect members in South Africa.

PTC’16, 17-20 January, Honolulu, Hawaii
PTC’s annual conference is the Asia-Pacific’s premier telecommunications event. Now in its 38th year, the annual conference is a strategic springboard for the global telecommunications industry. The conference provided all attendees with a three day platform to focus on planning, networking, and to discover what the New Year will bring. Prof H Nwana joined a roundtable discussion titled ‘Will New Platforms for Internet Access Change Everything?’

Convergence India, 20-22 January, New Delhi, India
As India marches towards the digital economy of the 21st century, the 24th Convergence India 2016 expo played host to a congregation of 12,000+ business leaders from across the globe. The international exhibition and expo taking place in India focused on new-age technologies and merging business solutions, enabling the enrichment of the lives of a billion people. Prof H Nwana joined the agenda at the TV White Space Workshop on the final day of Convergence India.

Wireless Broadband Alliance Vision Forum, 21-22 January, New Delhi, India
The WBA Vision Forum brought together a unique global gathering of thought leaders from major wireless & broadband operators, technology innovators, government & city authorities, high-density venues and IOT players. Prof H Nwana joined a roundtable discussion during the agenda at which many senior Indian officials attended.

The 5th Annual Americas Spectrum Management Conference, 2-3 February, Washington, USA
The 5th Annual Americas Spectrum Management Conference followed 2014's successful conference, and once again provided a high-level meeting point for stakeholders across the region and beyond to discuss topical issues relating to the management and co-ordination of spectrum policy across the region. Prof H Nwana joined ANE’s Martha Suarez on a panel discussion entitled: What is the role for spectrum sharing in delivering an efficient future spectrum landscape?
Upcoming Industry Events
Mobile World Congress, 22-25 February, Barcelona, Spain
Mobile World Congress includes a world-class conference featuring visionary keynotes and thought-provoking panel discussions; an exhibition with more than 2,000 companies displaying the cutting-edge products and technologies that define the future of mobile; the world’s best opportunity for mobile industry networking; and the annual Global Mobile Awards ceremony, which recognises the most innovative mobile solutions and initiatives from around the world. H Nwana will attend the event as a delegate.

UK spectrum policy: allocation, capacity and the development of 5G, April 14, London, UK
Bringing together policymakers with key stakeholders across the telecoms and audio-visual media sectors, this timely seminar will examine the development of UK spectrum policy. It takes place as demand pressures continue to increase and as future allocation is being discussed. H Nwana will provide a keynote on the topic of ‘Emerging Markets: 5G and WiFi.’

Dynamic Spectrum Alliance Global Summit, April 26-28, Bogota, Colombia
The Dynamic Spectrum Alliance annual Global Summit will be co-hosted by Agencia Nacional del Espectro (ANE), the Colombian national spectrum regulator, in Bogota, Colombia on April 26-28, 2016. Following on from previous successes in Asia (Manila, Philippines) and Africa (Accra, Ghana), the Summit will head to Latin America where regulators, industry representatives, and academics from around the world will discuss how new dynamic spectrum sharing technologies and regulatory models are being used to increase digital inclusion and address the massive growth of wireless data.

IET Annual Prestige Mobile Communications Lecture, June 9, Reading, UK
H Nwana will present the lecture, focusing on ‘DSA bridging the digital divide: 5G & IoT.’

Get in touch

If you would like more information, or if your company or organization is interested in joining the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance, then please email
admin@dynamicspectrumalliance.org
Alternatively, visit our membership page, which provides a membership level breakdown.

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